The Capture of Fort William Henry - photo 1

The Capture of Fort William Henry

Sold
$ 6 930
Auction dateClassic
17.01.2024 11:00UTC -04:00
Auctioneer
CHRISTIE'S
Event location
USA, New York
Archive
The auction is completed. No bids can be placed anymore.
Archive
ID 1119245
Lot 46 | The Capture of Fort William Henry
The Capture of Fort William Henry

Gazette de France, 18 October 1757

FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR – Supplément à la Gazette du 15 Octobre 1757. Relation de la prise du Fort Georges, ou Guillaume-Henry, situé sur le Lac Saint-Sacrement, & de ce qui s'est passé cette année en Canada. Paris: Bureau d'Adresse, aux Galleries du Louvre, 18 Octobre 1757.



The French announcement of Montcalm's controversial victory over the British at Fort William Henry. A very rare and very fine "extra" issue of the Gazette de France, apparently printed immediately after the arrival of reports of Montcalm's capture of Fort William Henry, the key British fort on Lake George. In March 1757 Montcalm had ordered Rigaud de Vaudreil to capture this crucial outpost, and the English garrison was besieged. The English held out in spite of heavy French artillery, repulsing four attacks before finally surrendering, under formal European military terms, on 9 August 1757. Those equitable terms of capitulation, though, meant little to the nearly 2000 Indians warriors allied with the French, and once the English had quit the security of their stockade, the Indians exacted a terrible revenge against soldiers and civilians alike, tomahawking some 185 men, women and children and capturing another 300 to 500 before Montcalm's troops could intervene. The text gives a full, very detailed account of the various stages of the siege and subsidiary actions, reprints the surrender terms and briefly notes the "massacre" that ensued. "In the end the violent sequel to Montcalm's victory would both defeat Vaudreuil's best efforts to salvage Indian relations and realize Montcalm's worst fears of British vengeance." Truly, "the fall of Fort William Henry thus marked a critical juncture in the war..." (Anderson, Crucible of War, pp.198-199).



Rare. This supplement, dated 15 October, evidently precedes by a few days the 6-leaf edition, though both have colophons dated 18 October, as described in Church. The 6-leaf issue, though, lacks the heading "Supplement" dated 15 October, in the Gazette issue. Church 1020 (6-leaf edition); Sabin 69272 (6-leaf) terming the Barlow copy "the only copy known"). Copies of the 6-leaf edition have been traced at Harvard, John Carter Brown and the Huntington (Barlow-Church copy). One other copy of the present 4-page "Supplement" dated 15 October is in the National Library of Canada (ex-Lande Collection).



Quarto (258 x 192mm). Four pages, printed in two columns, paginated 173-176. Single sheet, never bound, deckle edges preserved (folds, a very tiny hole to first leaf at vertical fold, a small faint dampstain). Provenance: Christie's New York, 12 June 2008, lot 72.

Place of origin:Canada, Western Europe, France, Europe
Auction house category:Printed books
Address of auction CHRISTIE'S
20 Rockefeller Plaza
10020 New York
USA
Preview
12.01.2024 10:00 – 17:00
13.01.2024 10:00 – 17:00
14.01.2024 13:00 – 17:00
15.01.2024 13:00 – 17:00
16.01.2024 10:00 – 17:00
Phone +1 212 636 2000
Fax +1 212 636 4930
Email
4FQ.AYGKAGLUQ@FO3G@
Conditions of purchaseConditions of purchase
Shipping Postal service
Courier service
pickup by yourself
Payment methods Wire Transfer
Business hoursBusiness hours
Mo 09:30 – 17:00   
Tu 09:30 – 17:00   
We 09:30 – 17:00   
Th 09:30 – 17:00   
Fr 09:30 – 17:00   
Sa closed
Su closed

Related terms

Frequently asked questions

First of all, you should register to be able to purchase at auction. After confirming your email address, enter your personal information in your user profile, such as your first name, last name, and mail address. Choose a lot from the upcoming auction and the maximum amount you want to place on it. After confirmation of your choice, we will send your application by e-mail to the appropriate auction house. If the auction house accepts a request, it will participate in the auction. You can view the current status of a bid at any time in your personal account in the "Bids" section.
Auctions are performed by auction houses and each of the auction houses describes their terms of auction. You can see the texts in the section "Auction information".
The results of the auction are published within a few days after the end of the auction. In the top menu of the site, find the tab "Auctions". Click on it and you will be on the auction catalog page, where you can easily find the category "Results". After opening it, select the desired auction from the list, enter and view the current status of the interested lot.
The information about the auction winners is confidential. The auction winner will receive a direct notification from the auction house responsible with instructions for further action: an invoice for payment and the manner in which the goods will be received.
Each of the auction houses has its own payment policy for the won lots. All auction houses accept bank transfers, most of them accept credit card payments. In the near future you will find detailed information for each case in the section "Auction information" on the page of the auction catalog and the lot.
Shipment of the won lot depends on its size. Small items can be delivered by post. Larger lots are sent by courier. Employees of the auction houses will offer you a wide range to choose from.
No. The archive serves as a reference for the study of auction prices, photographs and descriptions of works of art.